1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates to a method for forming carbon composites having a treating component suited for use as friction-bearing and structural materials for high temperature applications. In one embodiment, the composite finds particular application in conjunction with a composite material formed by resistance heating of carbon fiber/binder mixtures during application of a compressive force and will be described with particular reference thereto. It should be appreciated that the method has application in other areas where the combined effects of pressure and temperature are desired.
2. Discussion of the Art
Carbon composites, such as carbon/carbon composites, include those structures formed from a fiber reinforcement, which itself consists primarily of carbon, and a carbon matrix derived from a thermosettable resin, such as a phenolic resin or a thermoplastic binder, such as pitch. Such materials are useful in applications where high temperature frictional properties and high strength to weight ratio are important. For example, carbon/carbon composites are known to be effective for providing thermal barriers and for friction bearing applications. Carbon/carbon composites for such applications tend to exhibit good temperature stability (often up to about 3000° C., or higher), high temperature friction properties (typical coefficients of friction are in the range of 0.4-0.5 above 500-600° C.), high resistance to thermal shock, due in part to their low thermal expansion behavior, and lightness of weight. Thermal insulation materials formed from certain types of carbon fibers exhibit excellent resistance to heat flow, even at high temperatures.
Common methods of forming carbon/carbon composites begins with lay-up of a woven fiber fabric or pressing a mixture of carbonized fibers derived from pitch (e.g., mesophase pitch or isotropic pitch), cotton, polyacrylonitrile, or rayon fibers, and a fusible binder, such as a phenolic resin or furan resin (the resin process) or needling to hold the fibers together in a preform (‘dry’ perform process). In the resin process, the fibers are first impregnated with resin to form what is commonly known as a prepreg. Multiple layers of the prepreg or random fiber prepreg are assembled in a mold of a heated press. The prepreg is compressed while simultaneously applying heat to the mold at temperatures of 160° C.-180° C. for a period of one hour or more to cure the resin fully. The fiber and cured resin composite is then heated at a slow rate to a final temperature of about 800° C. in a separate operation to convert the binder to carbon. This carbonization step is carried out in an inert atmosphere and often takes several days to complete. Typically, the density of the carbon composite thus formed ranges from about 0.6 to 1.3 g/cm3.
For applications such as brake components and other friction-bearing applications, a density of about 1.7 g/cm3 or higher is generally desired. To reduce voids and increase its density, the carbon composite is infiltrated with a phenolic resin or other carbonizable matrix material using a vacuum followed by pressure and the infiltrated material is then carbonized by heating. Densification is also often accomplished by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The chemical infiltration process is generally repeated three to five times before the desired density is achieved. A processing step may include graphitization of the preform by heating it in an inert atmosphere to a final temperature not exceeding about 3200° C. Above this temperature, carbon from the composite material tends to vaporize. The graphitization may be a final processing step or an intermediate step.
The lengthy heating and infiltration times render such composites expensive and impractical for many applications. For example, it may take about five months to form a carbon/carbon composite article, depending on the number of densification steps. Accordingly, sintered metal articles are commonly used for thermal applications, despite their greater weight and often poorer thermal stability and friction properties.
The present invention provides a new and improved method of forming a dense carbon composite, which overcomes the above-referenced problems and others.